HUD sending another $5B to Texas for Harvey recovery

1of 3Workers for A&LLR Demolition disassemble the boat storage business Cove Harbor Marina and Drystack in Rockport, TX. The unit held 486 boats and the company will rebuild. It is just one visual reminder of the damage that the small coastal town suffered through with Hurricane Harvey. Many Rockport residents attend counseling session to help them deal with the stress that has stayed with them after Hurricane Harvey, on Wednesday, April 4, 2018.Photo: Bob Owen, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

2of 3Construction workers carry new boards to repair a private pier along N. Fulton Beach Rd. where many piers were ripped apart by Hurricane Harvey. Area residents attend counseling session to help them deal with the stress that has stayed with them from Hurricane Harvey, on Wednesday, April 4, 2018.Photo: Bob Owen, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

3of 3Debris from Rockport area homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey is deminished however still present along Highway 35. Many area residents attend counseling to help them deal with the stress that has stayed with them from Hurricane Harvey, on Wednesday, April 4, 2018.Photo: Bob Owen, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it will be sending another $5 billion to Texas to fund recovery and mitigation projects tied to Harvey and other recent flooding, bringing the state’s funding total to roughly $10 billion.

The news came as a draft document outlining the state’s first major Hurricane Harvey recovery spending plan was released. According to the proposal, Houston and Harris County each would receive more than $1 billion, roughly half of its initial $5 billion in Harvey aid. The rest would be spent on housing and infrastructure programs elsewhere in Texas.

Mayor Sylvester Turner and county leaders lobbied aggressively to control how disaster relief money is spent in the region. Poised to win such authority, they now will have to develop their own plans for the money, a process that could take several months.

“We’re thrilled with the response by the state to allow for the local control that the mayor asked for, and we think that this is essential for the kind of recovery that we’re looking for,” Houston Housing Director Tom McCasland said.

The Texas General Land Office, which is managing Harvey housing recovery, plans to collect public feedback on the state proposal through April 26, before submitting the plan for federal approval.

State officials intended to publicize their “action plan” forthe first round of Harvey spending last month, but reversed course after Turner accused the land office of “hogging the $5 billion” and cutting the city out of planning talks.

Houston, initially only given control over single-family housing programs, wanted greater oversight over all categories of recovery initiatives, among other changes.

Land Commissioner George P. Bush responded by visiting the mayor, and, in mid-March, city, county and state officials traveled to Washington, D.C., to resolve the conflict.

“It went really well, very productive, great exchange of ideas, concepts and tweaks that we’re going to take a deeper look at on the action plan,” Bush said after meeting with Turner.

Managing the funds will be no easy task. This allocation alone amounts to roughly half of Houston’s annual general fund budget.

The land office will have to repeat the planning process for the additional $5 billion allocated to Texas on Tuesday. Roughly $4.7 billion of that is designated for Harvey recovery and mitigation projects, with the remainder to be used for mitigation in response to previous floods.

“The additional Community Development Block Grant funds … will inject billions of dollars that are desperately needed to help restore our communities,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. “As the recovery process from Hurricane Harvey continues, the state of Texas is continuing to work as quickly as possible to ensure affected regions have the resources they need to fully recover.”